Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the EFL Cup match.
Crystal Palace have not forgotten the FA Cup fifth-round meeting with Millwall in 2024/25 (3:1), not only because it formed part of the run to the trophy, but also because it was marred by a horrific injury to Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Crystal Palace
The French striker is fit now and could feature against Millwall, although that is not guaranteed. Three days later there is another London derby in the English Premier League against West Ham United, and Crystal Palace now have UEFA Europa Conference League commitments as well. Will they prioritise the EFL Cup? This will be their first match in the competition. Last season Crystal Palace made a strong push: they scored at least twice in every round and were eliminated only in the quarter-finals by Arsenal (2:3).
Millwall
Millwall are also credible in knockout competitions, having reached the latter stages of the FA Cup that season (the last 16). However, in the 2024/25 EFL Cup they were eliminated in the second round by Leyton Orient of League One (0:1). This August they saw off a strong Coventry City (2:1). Even so, they have been underwhelming in the Championship — seven points from five matches and 13th place. Last weekend Millwall only clawed it back against newly promoted Charlton Athletic once they had a man advantage.
Crystal Palace vs Millwall Prediction
We believe Crystal Palace will score, and even twice, whereas we are not convinced by Millwall; a win to nil is possible. Therefore we are backing a Crystal Palace win combined with their individual total.
